Matt Burgess, a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Minnesota's MFA program, grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens. He is the author of the critically acclaimed literary crime novels DOGFIGHT, A LOVE STORY and UNCLE JANICE. In his courses at Macalester, he aims to work alongside his students, to help them discover and nurture their voices; then, through discussion, assigned reading, directed writing exercises, and workshops, allow them to express that voice with force and conviction.